Door hinge



Aug. 29, 1950 EEELEY 2,520,536

- DOOR HINGE Filed Aug. 16, 3948 ff a Patented Aug. 29, 1950 UNITED STATES Parent OFFICE noon HINGE Nelson. Feele-y, Westfieltl, Mass. Application August 16, 1948,. Serial No 44,435..

2 Claims. (01.. 1389-45 This invention relates JED-1 a. hinge construction and a pivot pin therefor.

The principal object of the invention is the provision of a hinge construction for a door or the like and a hinge pin therefor which is adapted, under the influence of predetermined heat conditions, to close the door.

According to novel features of the invention, the hinge pin includes in a general way actuators adapted to act on the leaf members of a hinge accordingly as heat melts a fusible metal holding them against relative movements.

According to further features of the invention, the pivot pin construction is such that it may be used in conjunction with numerous and various hinge constructions without the necessity of providing special leaf members and thereby the invention is adapted to a broad application to existing hinges.

With the foregoing and various other novel features and advantages and other objects of my invention as will become more apparent as the description proceeds, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and in the combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more particularly pointed out in the claims hereunto annexed and more fully described and referred to in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein: I

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional elevational view through the pivot construction of the invention; I

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the pivot pin shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an elevational view of a hinge having the pivot of the invention associated therewith; and

Fig. 4 is a sectional plan view on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Referring now to the drawings more in detail, the invention will be fully described.

A supporting member 2 is provided which is preferably in the form of an elongated metal tube. According to novel features of the invention, the tube will be so formed and proportioned as to be insertable in the knuckles of the hinge leaves.

An elongated propeller member 4 is disposed in the tube and its lower end 6 is secured in the lower end of the tube. The member 4 is preferably made from a flat strip of spring material and its securement in the tube may be accomplished by pressing the opposite walls of the tube inwardly against the end 6 of the member 4'.

An actuator I is secured to the tube 2 ad- 2'" iacent its. upper end, and it has a downwardly extending lug l2. Another actuator M is provided with an upwardly extending bore It in the lower side thereof and with a transverse slot 18 in which the upper end 20 of the propeller member is engaged.

The actuator I4 is provided with a downwardly depending lug 22 similar to the lug [2.

The propeller 4 is twisted intermediate its ends to tension it so that it will rotate the actuator M relative to the actuator Ill, and a member 24 formed from fusible material is secured to the actuators l0 and M to hold them against relative movement.

With the propeller member being twisted as it is and the actuators l0 and I4 held against relative movement, when the member 24 is melted the propeller member will bring about relative movements of said actuators Ill and I4.

With the members assembled as explained,

. the pivot pin structure is inserted in the knuckles 30 of a pair of hinge leaves 32. Where plural hinge structures are secured to 13, door and casing, there may be a pivot pin of the invention in each of the hinges or in some cases it may only be necessary to provide the pivot pin in one of the hinges.

With a hinge or hinges hingedly securing a door to a door casing and when it is in open position and a fire should occur, the fusible metal will be acted upon so as to melt and release the actuators l0 and I4 and thereby the twisted spring acts to rotate one actuator relative to the other and the actuators bringing up against the leaves of the hinge swing the door.

In practice the pivot pin will be arranged in the hinge so that the door may normally be opened and closed in the usual manner but on the occurrence of a fire the fusible material is acted upon so that the door is closed.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the essential characteristics thereof. Hence, the present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects merely as being illustrative and not as being restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all modifications and variations as fall within the meaning and purview and range of equivalency of the appended claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What it is desired to claim and secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A pivot pin for a hinge comprising in combination, an elongated supporting tube arranged and adapted for insertion in and through the knuckles of a pair of hinge leaves, a propeller member secured at its lower end to the lower end of the tube, an actuator for engaging a hinge leaf secured to the upper end of said tube, another actuator secured to the upper end of said propeller, said propeller being in the form of an elongated strip of resilient spring-like material twisted intermediate its ends and held under tension by the provision of fusible metal releasably securing said actuators against relative movement.

2. A pivot pin for the relatively swingable leaves of a hinge comprising in combination, an elongated supporting tube arranged and adapted for insertion in and through the knuckles of a pair of hinge leaves, an elongated propeller member formed from a strip of flat spring material and having its lower end secured to the lower end of said tube, a leaf actuator secured to the upper end of said tube and a leaf actu- REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Re. 5,932 Acker June 23, 1874 50,411 Young et al Oct. 10, 1865 2,395,456 Bunker Feb. 26, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 1,456 Australia of 1926 

